Johann Christoph Schwab et le kantisme

Abstract Johann Christoph Schwab was among the first members of the Berlin Academy to engage with Kant’s philosophy in the late 1780s. His memoir on the relationship between ideas and things contains numerous signs of sympathy toward Kant’s thought, even though he rejected Kant’s version of idealism. In the 1790s, however, Schwab’s stance shifted, culminating in a complete rejection of Kantianism. This is especially evident in his 1795 essay for the Preisfrage on the progress of metaphysics, where he presents Kant’s philosophy not only as a regression in the development of German metaphysics but also as a dangerous drift toward skepticism. This paper explores Schwab’s changing attitude toward Kant, while also demonstrating that his own position cannot simply be reduced to an obsolete form of Wolffianism, as it reflects a more distinctive approach.